A self-portrait by Paul Cézanne, painted when he was about 60 years old.

Painter - Paul Cezanne

Paul Cézanne was born on the 19th of January 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. He studied law at university before leaving to pursue his artistic career. Cézanne moved to Paris aged 22, where he befriended the Impressionist painter, Camille Pissarro, who was to be a great influence on the young man.

He had his first exhibition in 1863 and he exhibited his works twice along with those of other Impressionists, but he did not have his first solo exhibition until 1895, well into his career.

Cézanne's art was not well received in all quarters. In 1903 French newspaper L'Intransigeant published an article entitled Love for the Ugly in which viewers were said to have laughed at Cézanne's works.

Cézanne was still working at the age of 67 when he was caught outside in a torrent of rain. He continued to paint for two hours during the storm, before collapsing whilst making his way home. He died of pneumonia just a few days later on the 22nd of October 1906.

Cézanne was a pioneer in the art world and his paintings were a major influence on the modern artists who came after him, such as Matisse and Picasso. 20th century art may not have been the same without him.

For a closer look at the pictures, please click on them to enlarge.

1.

Pyramid of Skulls is one of several works on the theme of mortality painted after the death of which of Cézanne's family members in 1897?

His daughter

His mother

His sister

His wife

Cézanne's mother had been a great support to him, and after her death the artist began to be obsessed by mortality. Some letters written during the last decade of his life express these thoughts with words such as, "For me, life has begun to be deathly monotonous", "I'm old. I won't have time to express myself", and "I might as well be dead"

2.

This 1871 piece is partially titled Melting Snow. The rest of its name is that of which small village near to Marseille?

L'Estaque

Estaing

Lautrec

Eus

Its full title is L'Estaque, Melting Snow. It was painted whilst Cézanne was living in L'Estaque at the time of the Franco-Prussian war. Some say that this piece is Cézanne's response to the war, showing a small group of houses locked between an ominous sky and a wall of snow. The houses might represent people's lives caught between Prussia (the sky) and France (the snow)

3.

Unfinished at the time of Cézanne's death, this piece is considered to be one of the masterpieces of early modern art. What is it called?

The Nymphs

The Bathers

The Women

The Picnic

Three similar works by Cézanne share the same name. This piece is sometimes called Big Bathers or Large Bathers in order to distinguish it from the other paintings which are smaller. The Philadelphia Museum of Art in the USA bought the painting in 1937 for a sum of $110,000, and has held it ever since

4.

There are three other versions of this painting, which is also known as The Boy in the Red Waistcoat . What is its alternative name?

The Boy at School

Day Dreaming Boy

The Boy in the Red Vest

Wistful Boy

This version of the painting was stolen from Foundation E.G. Bührle in Zürich, Switzerland in 2008, before it was found again in Serbia in 2012. It has an estimated value of £54 million

5.

This is a painting of which mountain in Provence which Cézanne painted several times?

Mont Chaberton

Vignemale

Le Tabor

Montagne Sainte-Victoire

The mountain was visible from Cézanne's house and he painted it often. This version is called Mont Sainte-Victoire seen from Bellevue but other versions include Mont Sainte-Victoire with Large Pine and Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley

6.

This piece, Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier was sold in 1999 for $60,502,500 (over £35 million) making it unique in what way?

It is the most expensive Cézanne ever sold at an auction

It is the most expensive French painting ever sold at an auction

It is the most expensive painting ever sold at an auction

It is the most expensive still life ever sold at an auction

Painted around 1894, this still life, like The Basket of Apples, is a precursor to the 20th century Cubist movement on which Cézanne was a strong influence

7.

Painted circa 1894, this still life, Le panier de pommes, has what title in English?

The Table with Apples

The Basket of Apples

The Cloth with Apples

The Bowl of Apples

Noted for its errant perspective, this piece has been said to be a link between Impressionism and Cubism. The unnatural tilt of the bottle and angle of the basket are complemented by the different perspectives in which the two sides of the table are seen

8.

This is one of a series of five paintings created between 1890 and 1895 entitled The Card Players. In 2011 this particular piece became the most expensive work of art ever sold when it was bought by the Royal Family of Qatar for what estimated price?

Between $150 million and $200 million

Between $200 million and $250 million

Between $250 million and $300 million

Between $300 million and $350 million

That's £146 - £176 million! Of the remaining four pieces, two are in museums in the USA, one is in the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, and the last is the Musée d’Orsay, París

9.

The model in this portrait had what relationship with Cézanne?

She was his mother

She was his wife

She was his sister

She was his niece

Between 1869 and the 1890s Hortense Fiquet was the model in many portraits by Cézanne. During that time the couple progressed from lovers to man and wife before finally splitting up. This particular portrait is called Madame Cézanne with Loosened Hair

10.

Painted around 1895, this is a portrait of which French journalist, historian, novelist and art critic?

Gustave Geffroy

Jules Verne

Alexandre Dumas

Victor Hugo

Geffroy was a friend of Monet who introduced him to Cézanne. The portrait was done as an expression of thanks for Geffroy's favourable reviews, but Cézanne was not happy with his work and abandoned it. In a explanatory letter to Monet, he said, "I am a little upset at the meagre result I obtained, especially after so many sittings and successive bursts of enthusiasm and despair"